Pool at The Cloister on Sea Island, Georgia

Pool at The Cloister on Sea Island, Georgia

The Best Luxury Vacations in Georgia

These dreamy resorts and hotels specialize in pampering guests with uncommon getaways.

Whether you're searching for a luxurious urban retreat or a remote country escape, Georgia's upscale resorts spoil guests with world-class dining, indulgent spa treatments, and unparalleled outdoor adventures. Here are three with impeccable service and first-rate accommodations suitable for a romantic getaway, family-friendly vacation, or a special trip with a group of your best friends.

The Cloister terrace at Sea Island Resort on Sea Island, Georgia
The Cloister terrace at Sea Island Resort on Sea Island, Georgia

Sea Island Resort on Sea Island

Escape to a Forbes five-star resort on Sea Island, a privately owned island in the Golden Isles of Georgia. Sea Island Resort offers five different accommodation options, from The Cloister's sprawling, elegant suites set on 50 lush acres of river marshland to the fully equipped, private The Cottages.

Sea Island Suite at The Cloister on Sea Island, Georgia
Sea Island Suite in The Cloister main building

All guests have access to the resort's unique outdoor activities, luxurious spa treatments, and world-class dining. Sporting enthusiasts can take daily guided equestrian and bike tours, improve their game with private tennis or stand-up paddleboarding lessons, or play the three championship 18-hole golf courses.

Championship golf course at Sea Island Resort on Sea Island, Georgia
Championship golf course at Sea Island Resort

Take a private cruise aboard the 71-foot Sea Island Explorer yacht to spot local wildlife and fauna with an onboard naturalist or falconer. Or, enjoy The Broadfield Experience, which includes a lodge and garden tour, dog training and falconry demonstration, five-stand shooting lessons, and Southern-style buffet lunch.

Beach Club pool at the Sea Island Resort on Sea Island, Georgia
Beach Club pool

At the Beach Club, rent a fully air-conditioned cabana outfitted with a television, stocked refrigerator, fruit tray, showers, and bathroom, plus four chaise lounges, umbrellas, and towels. Or, retreat indoors to the spa, which features mineral pool baths, a dry sauna, a eucalyptus-infused steam room, hydrotherapy pool with cascading waterfall, and private men's and women's relaxation lounges. Try the "Pursuit of Happiness," a tailored massage, body exfoliation, and relaxing scalp and foot treatments guaranteed to relax and restore.

Dining at Tavola at The Cloister on Sea Island, Georgia
Dining at Tavola at Sea Island Resort

End the day with dinner at the warm and elegant Tavola, which serves Italian-inspired fare like homemade pasta, fresh seafood, and wood-fired pizzas as well as wines from 20 regions in the country. Weather permitting, you can dine al fresco on the enclosed porch or garden courtyard.

Visit Sea Island


Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee in Greensboro, Georgia
Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee

Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee in Greensboro

Located just 85 miles east of Atlanta, Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee is the ultimate country retreat with big-city amenities. The property has 257 guest rooms, all with spacious, marble-trimmed bathrooms, and many with private fire pits and balconies.

Fireside room at Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee in Greensboro, Georgia
Lakeview room with a fire pit at Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee

Staying with a group? Opt for one of the spacious two- or three-bedroom cottages, with fully equipped kitchens, living room fireplaces, and stone verandas with wrap-around porches and either lake or golf course views.

The second largest lake in the state, Lake Oconee has 374 miles of shoreline and four full-service marinas, ideal for boating, wakeboarding, tubing, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding, and other water sports. Or, stay on dry land and play any of five championship golf courses.

Great Waters golf course at Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee in Greensboro, Georgia
Great Waters golf course at Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee

Enjoy a complimentary rental bike to pedal through the resort's paved paths, or hike or run more than 21 miles of lake and hillside trails. In addition, the Ritz-Carlton offers several lighted tennis courts, plus the 100-acre Sandy Creek Sporting Grounds, for shooting sporting clays, five-stand, or air rifles or trying your hand at archery.

Indoors, the 30,000-square-foot spa offers a tranquil retreat from the day's activities. In addition to saunas, steam rooms, an indoor pool, and cold plunge pools, the spa offers pedicures, age-defying facials, and stress-relief massages.

Linger Longer bar at the Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee in Greensboro, Georgia
Linger Longer bar

Dine at the elegant, lakeside Linger Longer Steakhouse, which features a signature double-sided, stacked-stone fireplace and a menu of prime cuts of meat, tableside carvings, family sides, and a raw bar with oysters on the half shell, crudos, whole lobsters, and other indulgent seafood.

Visit Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee


Lobby of The St. Regis Atlanta hotel
The St. Regis Atlanta lobby

The St. Regis Atlanta

The luxurious St. Regis Atlanta hotel is the ultimate in-town retreat in the heart of Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood, which has been called "The Beverly Hills of the East." The stately property has 151 guest rooms with plush Egyptian linens, marbled vanities, and soaking tubs, as well as 31 spacious suites with private Juliet balconies. All rooms are outfitted with smart technology for curtains, lighting, and thermostats, as well as LED flat-screen televisions and fully stocked mini bars.

Interior of The St. Regis Atlanta
The St. Regis Atlanta

Head to The St. Regis Spa on the hotel's sixth floor, which has 10 treatment rooms, a steam room, and lounges for relaxing pre-and post-service. Choose from a range of therapeutic massages, manicures, pedicures, and facials like the "Timeless Youth."

Dining options range from the lush and intimate Garden Room, which serves shareable small plates, to the sophisticated, chef-driven Atlas Buckhead, which was awarded one MICHELIN star in 2023, and where you can dine surrounded by a collection of notable 20th-century modern art. All onsite restaurants offer craft cocktails, local beer, and selections from the hotel's wine cellar, which has more than 500 bottles from around the world.

Pool at The St. Regis Atlanta
Pool at The St. Regis Atlanta

In season, lounge or dine by the impressive 40,000-square-foot pool piazza, or soak in the spa's freshwater Jacuzzi.

Skyline view of St. Regis Atlanta
The St. Regis Atlanta hotel in the heart of Buckhead

Just steps away from Buckhead's high-end boutiques and shopping districts, the St. Regis offers complimentary private transportation within a two-mile radius of the property, as well as 24-hour concierge services to connect guests to Atlanta's hot spots and top attractions.

Visit St. Regis Atlanta

Published: December 2023
Written by: Laura Scholz
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